The Path Less Traveled
by I like angst
Summary: In a desperate move on the battlefied Hyuuga Neji severed the chain of fate that held him. Little did he know that Fate would not be pleased. Now presented with a second chance at life, will he accept being the gods' puppet, or keep his free will? A story in four parts. One sided Nejiten and one sided Nejihina. T for language, violence, and inuendo (rating may go up).


Disclaimer: I own nothing

Warning: spoilers for 614

He had stood on the battlefield within arms reach of his loved ones. He could feel his muscles strain to keep up the constant flow of katas as he deflected the blows intended for the blonde behind him. Through the corner of his eyes he caught a break in formation. The blur of purple jolted his body to action and he moved without thought. As Hyuuga Hinata laid her life on the line for the man she loved; Hyuuga Neji laid his life for hers.

The pain did not register at first, but the wide eyes of his comrades did. Hyuuga Neji who had stood silent and strong like a stone pillar in midst of so much death, had fallen. The words he spoke were not perfect, and they were not all that he had to say. He had wanted to comfort her and give them strength as well. Whether he succeeded he didn't know, but even dying he felt something in his heart stir as her eyes looked only at him. Despite the war, the blood, the fear, and anger in the air, and the song of death growing in his ears, Hyuuga Neji was finally free. 'Funny,' a dark little voice inside of him said, 'all it took was dying.'

* * *

In a plane above, beyond, around, within and everywhere else you may conceive without perceiving, the chains of fate groaned, creaked and cracked. Across the sea of chaos a figure frowned or would have, had it had a face.

* * *

When death came Neji did not fade to blackness. The world did not lose all color. Death came to him in an ocean of colors and feelings that swelled in at first like a gentle low tide and then engulfed the world in a rapid tsunami of waves. He did not drown, but was carried through an expanse of colors and explosions of lights. His thoughts seemed to slow and even the abnormality of what was happening raised no alarm. It seemed that death had taken all shock out of him. As he was pulsed forward by the crashing waves he couldn't help but think: 'this green it is like summer.' Unable to focus on his own death, instead he thought of Hinata's third birthday when he had played with her in the summer gardens. He wondered if she remembered that time. Would she share it with her children?

The ocean seemed to calm and he felt his body slow just as his thoughts had. 'Come.' A thought whispered in his head and his body was tugged upward.

He found himself standing on the great expanse of a rainbow colored ocean that was solid even without chakra. Around him were thousands of chains of varying width suspended upward. He looked up and the calm lethargy that engulfed him before seemed to fade. Above him was the world suspended in a sky of inky black night and small miniscule stars anchored by billions upon billions of chains.

"What . . .?" the words died in his throat. A coherent question could not form. Hesitantly he moved a hand to touch a thick chain, the width of an elephant, with a giant crack running through its side; it seemed to secure itself into the very middle of the world.

"Don't." A voice echoed around him, and he turned. Less than a throwing distance away stood a crowd of women –dressed in elaborate obi's , hair done up with extravagant brocades of jade, rubies, pearls and gold, and wearing white featureless masks— protecting a lone palanquin, lifted by two pale figures with Kabuki masks tied to their faces.

"Who . . ?" For some reason the question sounded dumb to his own ears and so it died before completion. The crowd of women with no mouths twittered. They parted as the curtain of the palanquin opened. The two male figures bent down onto their knees and the woman inside stepped out. She wore a dress more elaborate than the others. Upon her head was a small straw hat with silk draping down from the sides. As the veil shifted he saw hints of a pale face and a red mouth.

"It is improper to ask a lady a question without an introduction. Your uncle has taught you better manners than that. Hasn't he Hyuuga, Neji?"Her voice was low and soft, familiar and strange at the same time. She began to walk towards him and the crowd of women followed. "I am she who invites. Welcome Neji-san to the cradle of the universe, the grave of worlds; Welcome to the Sea of Chaos."

He felt something flutter in the very heart of his soul. A soft voice whispered, do not look down. Instead he looked straight at her. "I am dead,' he said calmly. "I did not realize that the dead held much interest for the gods."

The crowd of women clucked their disapproval, but the goddess merely laughed. She stopped within arm's length of him, but it might have been a chasm from how faraway she seemed.

"No, it is true that the dead usually hold little interest to those who are immortal. However, you are a special case Hyuuga Neji. You have broken the chains of fate that held you and have further cracked one of the great world chains." She gestured to the chain he had almost touched before.

He turned his gaze and looked at it closely and sure enough the chain was almost cleanly split through. "World chain?" he asked staring intently at the crack.

"We god's have plans for this world. It is true that you humans have your ambitions, but they are mere passing fancies. Most times you fail in your attempts to rewrite the path of your lives. Whether you notice it or not you are pulled forward onto your destined roads by one of the world great links. However, there comes every now and then a human who can sever the ties that bind them and create such a disturbance as to affect the whole destiny of a world; they threaten to crack the chain and change the path already written out by the gods. It is rare to meet such a selfish individual."

Neji's eye widened at the accusation. "It was not my wish to offend the gods." He said formally.

"Do you think I called you the selfish one?" The figure chuckled. "It is true that you did not die as you were slated to. No you followed another path, but your chain was already cracked. All it took was a tug for it to splinter. You would not have been able to break out on your own."

He felt as if the very air was knocked out of him. "What do you mean?"

She tilted her head toward the ocean, and Neji looked down. Through the foggy ocean he could make out a figure, with a gold halo of energy surrounding him, standing on the field of battle, and next to him stood her. Neji felt something dark blossom in his chest.

"It was my choice; he is not to blame." Neji said through gritted teeth.

"So touchy; it sounds as though you are upset." She chuckled and the twittering laugh echoed among the masked women. "Uzamaki Naruto is a difficult figure. Again and again he has interrupted the thread of the fates and created choices where there were none. If it had not been for his interference you would have followed the path of fate and now you would be alive."

"I did what I had to do." He gritted out. "I protected those who were precious to me and put their happiness before my own. There is no greater way to die."

He could feel her smile, though he couldn't see it. "Is that so? Look at the sea, Hyuuga Neji. Look closely and tell me what you see."

He stared at the sea and from its depth made out still and faceless forms, decaying cities, monsters, and gods from myths and legends, suspended as if in amber.

"Bodies."

"It is the valley of the dead, Hyuuga Neji. In it gods, dragons, and monsters sleep for eons remembering a past they can never change. In it humans remember and forget and fade. That is what awaits you Hyuuga Neji, memory, lose, and nothingness. Are you content with your lot?"

"I have made my choice. It is what I must face," his voice wavered as he looked away.

"Is that so? What if I were to tell you that you could have another chance? A chance to trust us gods and submit to the fate we have designed for you."

Shocked Neji stared at the goddess. He swallowed the dry lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. All his life he had strived to break the chain of fate that had once dictated his destiny, and now he finally had. Now it seemed that fate actually cared. "What is the price?"

"That is not for you to know." Her soft voice echoed.

"You want me to go back, to change what happens. This is not about me and my destiny but about the world chain isn't it?" a hint of irritation colored his tone.

"Clever, but even seers only know riddles." The gaggle of women twittered excitedly.

"Then show me what a seer would see."

"Do you presume to bargain with a goddess?"

Neji heard the distant sound of thunder and felt himself sink to his knees into the sea beneath him. "My uncle taught me that when someone comes to you seeking to negotiate, it is because they need the deal more than you." He looked up and tried to hold her gaze, though where her eyes were behind the veil he couldn't tell.

"You amuse me Hyuuga Neji." She laughed as he began sinking. "So I will let the chaos show you the future. I would be wary though, this is the chaos, and the truth is a relative term. It will speak to you in the faces of those you know, but do not presume that they are your loved ones. I expect an answer once this vision is through."

He tried to yell up to her but the sea of chaos filled his mouth and ears and he felt pain pierce his very core as he sank rapidly down.

Authors Note: Hey guys, this story is very much a work in progress. I generally know where this is headed, but how fast this comes out is dependent on a lot of variables. Once completed it should be made up of only 4 parts. I really hope to find a beta reader for this story. Any volunteers are greatly welcomed. It's going to be complicated, the chaos and the visions Neji sees will be very surreal in a lot of ways. I want to make sure it is clear and not littered with my weird little grammar quirks.

Also, review. Reviews help me know what I am doing well and where I have lost you guys. Correct me when my grammar prevents you from understanding something. It's very annoying that in a four chapter story I once wrote I had seven reviews, and not one told me that I mistyped a character's name 3 times. Call me out on my mistakes. Reviews will not make me change pairings, or genres, or add lemons. So those type of reviews I can live without. Criticism, genuine, authentic, and well thought out, constructive criticism is gold.

Much love guys,

I like Angst


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